


The toy store

by etherealabyss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alcohol, Cute, Everyone lives, Flirting, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Remus is a dad, Sirius Black is Harry Potter's Parent, Very domestic, mentions of abuse, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:56:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28714644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealabyss/pseuds/etherealabyss
Summary: Back in college, before Tonks and Remus had realised that they were both gay, Tonks got pregnant. They kept the baby and raised it as loving friends. Remus loved being a dad. One fateful day Remus was shopping for toys with their daughter when he met the most beautiful person of his life while his daughter was chatting away with the guy's godson. He needed to see him again, but why would a man like that ever want to hang out with Remus?Or, Remus is a dad and falls in love with the godfather of his daughter's playdate.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54
Collections: my wolfstar collection





	The toy store

**Author's Note:**

> hello again! this is my second wolfstar work and i hope you guys like it. i wanted to explore remus's mind and this is what came out. i'd love to hear your opinion on it, so don't be shy with the comments! they're very appreciated :) also, english is my second language, so i'm sorry if i made any mistakes. have a good day!

“Dad! Dad, wake up! Dad!”, was all Remus could hear before he could even think about opening his eyes. It was a beautiful Friday morning in the middle of September. As he tried to gather himself and check the time, he felt his little girl climb onto the bed and then on top of him. “You’re awake!”, she laughed and squeezed his cheeks with her tiny hands. “Yes, I am”, he smiled, not being fully awake yet. “Good morning, muffin”, Remus yawned and pulled her close. “How’d you sleep?”, he asked her and covered her small face with butterfly kisses. His scruffy beard tickled her and made her giggle. “I slept well, Dad. Can we go to the toy store now?”, she asked eagerly once the man had shaken the sleep off of him.

Remus looked to the side and tried to figure out what time it was. “Honey, it’s 7 am, the shops aren’t even open yet”, he yawned and got up from the large, warm bed and picked up his daughter in one swift motion whilst walking into the kitchen. “How about some pancakes, hm? That sound good?”, he asked her and kissed her forehead. Emily nodded a few times and yawned loudly before he put her down on the bench next to the small table in the middle of the kitchen.

When Tonks and Remus were together, neither of them had realised that they were both gay. They went out in college for a couple of months and enjoyed their time together but it was obvious that it wouldn’t last forever. The sex was as good as heterosexual sex can be, but Remus never quite liked it as much as his friends always said they did. One particular night they had been drinking and couldn’t stop making out with each other. He loved the way he felt when the alcohol entered his bloodstream and enjoyed dancing with Tonks even more. They were having such a good time that Remus couldn’t pinpoint the moment the mood of the night changed when one thing led to the other and the two of were shagging their brains out. When Remus woke up the next day, the massive headache almost took over his entire body. As he looked down at his girlfriend, he realised that they did not use any kind of protection and that he ejaculated deep inside of her the previous night. They were fucked.

“Shit, what were we thinking?”, Tonks almost screamed at Remus with tears in her eyes once they were dressed and had finished their morning cuppa. “Nothing, apparently”, Remus mumbled and stared at her. He wasn’t ready to be a father! He couldn’t be left by himself; how would he be able to care for another whole ass human being? After talking for what felt like hours, Tonks came to the conclusion that she wanted to keep the baby. She was too scared to abort it because she thought she might regret it in the future (which turned out to be right – she loved her little girl more than anything in the world). Remus had to respect her opinion, it was her body after all, and promised to support her every step of the way. He also swore that he would try to be the best version of a father that he could be. Only days after they found out that she was actually pregnant, the two of them broke up. Remus never knew that breaking up with the mother of his child would mean that he would gain a best friend. A few weeks later Tonks told him about her questioning her sexuality so naturally they spent days just talking about her life and her experiences with women until she concluded that she wasn’t really attracted to men.

She made Remus laugh as she told him that he “was a good fuck, though”. “That doesn’t mean I love you any less, I hope you know that. I just want us to be in good headspaces once the little one is here because if we were to continue our relationship the way we did before, we’d probably kill each other once the baby is out”, she laughed and Remus chuckled. She was right. They loved each other to death but staying together really wasn’t an option. Tonks’s pregnancy drew them closer together than they could have ever imagined. They decided to drop out of college and found jobs that they loved. Remus was employed at a record store run by a very lovely, old lady and Tonks didn’t even have to chat with the boss at the local bookshop for more than five minutes until she was hired. Lucky for them, Remus’s mum was a landlady that could offer them two relatively cheap flats close to each other as soon as they could afford them.

Now their little girl stayed at her mum’s for one week and at her dad’s for the next. On the weekends they often had family dinner, which they absolutely loved. Their family grew bigger when Tonks introduced Adriana, her girlfriend, to Remus about two years ago. They got on well immediately and had a lot in common – who would have thought that there was another person who watched The Mighty Boosh whenever they were remotely stoned or drunk? After only a few dinners with Adriana, they decided to make it a tradition to try out a different wine each time they met up. Since Tonks’s girlfriend was a sommelier, she could give them information about the beverages the other two would not have even thought existed.

“I really want to get a giraffe. And a dog. And a cat. Do you think they also have elephants? Or maybe birds?”, Emily asked and browsed through the pages of the magazine that was laying on the table. She couldn’t read yet, but the pictures were entertaining enough for her. “I’m sure you’ll find something you like. Mummy told me that you learned how to write your name in Kindergarten, is that right?”, Remus asked and mixed the pancake batter. “Yes! Let me show you, dad!”, his daughter cheered, took the first pen she found and started to write her name in capital letters across the entire front page of the vinyl-collector magazine she was just reading. “Look, dad!”, she almost shouted when she was finished. The proud smile on her face made his heart jump. When he looked down at the magazine, he sighed quietly. He was looking forward to putting the magazine on the coffee table so others would see the beautiful Jimi Hendrix on the cover, but Emily had other plans for him. “You did so well, my little lady”, he said proudly as he inspected the magazine. He would just get a new one.

“Wow, I could have never done it as beautifully as you have. Just look at the M!”, Remus cheered and looked at his daughter who was giggling at his behaviour when he pretended to struggle writing the same letter because he only wrote an N. “I think I made a mistake. Can you help me out? I think something is wrong with my M”, he said as he handed her the magazine back. “You forgot the last sticky thing”, Emily told him with a lot of confidence in her voice. She then proceeded to take the pen in her hand again and drew the wobbliest line Remus had ever seen. “Well done!”, he smiled, being proud of her nonetheless. “Want to hear some music?”, the dad asked and looked at his daughter with a questioning look on his face while he put a pan on the stove.

“Yes! The one with the man and the woman ... and the man and the woman!”, Emily exclaimed and made Remus laugh softly as he connected his phone to the Bluetooth speaker in the room. She meant Abba’s 1974 Album “Waterloo”, which she grew to love in a very short time – Remus had played it once as background noise and she has requested it whenever she was at his ever since. Her favourite songs were the ones in Swedish because when she would sing along, she told him that she spoke Swedish fluently (even though it was utter gibberish).

Remus started swaying his hips from side to side as he made the pancakes and thought about how quickly the time had flown by once Emily was born. How has it already been four years that he found out he would be a father? He looked over his shoulder and watched her draw faces on the vinyl on a random page of the magazine. He kept all of her drawings, some of them were even hung up in his bedroom – so now that he had a sheet of paper on which his daughter wrote her name down for the first time, he already began thinking about where he should put it up. “A pancake with Nutella coming up”, he announced as he put the food on the bright blue plate and positioned it in front of her. “Thank you, dad”, she said quickly when he sat down on the opposite side of the small table and began to cut her pancake up in small pieces so it would be easier for her to eat. She usually did it by herself, but they broke her plastic knife playing pirates yesterday and he really wasn’t ready to give her a proper knife just yet.

She definitely inherited his sweet tooth. If he was being honest, she was currently eating Nutella with a side of pancake – not that he was any better, his plate looked almost the same way hers did.

Once they finished their meal, they loaded the dishwasher, brushed their teeth and hair, put on lotion and got dressed. Remus wore his regular green buttoned-down shirt underneath his brown cardigan and put on a matching pair of brown trousers. “You look like you want to live in the forest, dad”, Emily told him while he was putting on a pair of black socks. “What if I do?”, he answered and winked at her. “No, don’t, I don’t want the bears to come and eat me! No!”, she panicked and threw her hands up in the air in protest. “Don’t worry, I won’t, can’t live too far away from mummy and you now, I’d miss her”, he laughed and ruffled her hair a little as he got up from the chair he was sitting on.

“So, what do you want to wear today, Emmie?”, Remus asked as the two of them stood in front of the dresser in her room. “Something yellow”, she answered after being lost in thought for about two minutes. Remus could only imagine how hard making that decision was to her little brain. He searched for anything yellow and ended up with a pastel yellow shirt that had a large, smiling sun on the front. “And for your legs?”, he asked and knelt next to her so they were at the same eye level. “Hm ... red”, she answered and nodded immediately afterwards. She was sure of her decision. “Red it is”, the dad answered and carefully rummaged through the bottom drawer until he found the red skirt he was looking for. He helped her undress and put on the outfit of the day. “We will look so cool”, she told him as he put the first pair of socks he found on her feet. “We sure will”, he reassured her and got up.

“Ok, let’s put on some sun protection and then we can head out!” Emily didn’t need to be told twice. She rushed into the bathroom and tried reaching for the bottle, but it was of no use since she was about an entire foot too small to get it. “Let me help you, darling”, she heard her dad saying as he entered the room and lifted her so that she could grab the sun cream. He let her stand on the tall sink, making them the same height again. Without saying a word, she opened the bottle and put some of the cream on her fingers. She then proceeded to spread it all across Remus’ face and giggled uncontrollably when he pulled funny faces. “Thank you, princess”, he smiled and kissed her cheek. “Well done. Now it’s my turn” He applied the sun cream all over her body generously, making sure he wouldn’t miss a spot.

Before Emily was born, he would have never been able to imagine it, but Remus loved being a dad. It gave him a purpose. He wanted Emily to have a life worth living and was ready to give up everything just to make her happy. Once she turned around, they looked at each other in the mirror. It was unmistakable that she was his daughter. They had the same hair colour, the same dimples, the same tired eyes, the same smile – fortunately for her, she inherited Tonks’s nose and density of hair. Remus’s hair wasn’t particularly thin, but Tonks’s was fuller and looked healthier. “You’re the prettiest girl I know, have I ever told you that?”, Remus asked her as he helped her down. “You say that every day”, Emily sighed and pulled on his finger. “Can we go now?” 

They left the flat at 11. Remus knew he had to do some grocery shopping but that could wait until tomorrow. Emily was dancing along the sidewalk and told Remus about the newest story she made up in her head. On days like these, he was happy that his employer was a grandma who loved her grandchildren so much that she would give Remus multiple days off a month just to spend them with his daughter. “Wow! Look at all the Lego sets!!”, Emily shouted excitedly and sprinted towards the front of the store. Fuck, when did she get this fast? Remus thought to himself as he ran after her and stopped a meter away from the display. “Let’s head in, then, there are lots of things to check out!”, Remus told her, held out his hand for her to grab and walked into the store.

They spent 20 minutes just wandering around the shop, trying to find out where everything was before Emily could look for anything in particular. Their first stop was at the dolls aisle. Emily didn’t seem to be intrigued by any of them. “Aren’t they cute?”, Remus asked as they strolled alongside the many diverse dolls. “No, they are boring, I have all of them at Mummy’s home”, she shrugged and looked up to him. “Can we go to the stuffie section please?”, she requested and put on the big puppy eyes Remus couldn’t say no to. Seconds later he found himself being dragged to the stuffed animal section by his little girl who would not stop talking about the many things she wanted to take home with her. “Look! Dad! Look at the koala the boy is holding!”, she declared before she ran up to him.

“Hello! Where did you get the koala from?”, she asked the brown-haired boy who wore a tiny, round pair of glasses. “It was on the floor”, he said and stared at the girl. “I’m Emily”, she introduced herself and pointed at Remus, “and this is my dad Remus”. The little boy looked up at Remus and gave him a kind smile. “Hello Emily’s dad”, Remus heard him say. “I’m Harry”, the boy said proudly and turned around, showing the two the tag of his shirt on which his name had been written on. “That’s cool!”, Emily smiled and inspected it. “Harry, are you here with your mummy or your daddy?”, Remus asked a bit worried. He wouldn’t be happy if he knew that his baby girl was walking around a store by herself – the boy could have potentially gotten kidnapped, Remus realised as he stood next to the two children who were chatting away.

“Harry? Harry James Potter! Where are you?!”, he heard a distant voice yell. The three of them turned to the left and Remus had to stop himself from gasping. The most beautiful man he had ever seen was walking straight up to him, his eyes fixed on the boy that was currently occupied talking to his daughter. The stranger had long, curly black hair, tied up in a messy bun, grey eyes and a face made by the gods themselves. He wore a tight pair of black skinny jeans that hugged him in just the right places, a red velvet top that was hiding underneath a black leather jacket and was it him or did Remus make out a couple of tattoos on his chest and fingers?

“I am so, so terribly sorry”, the stranger said as he stopped in front of them, shooting Remus an apologetic look. “You can’t just run away like that, Harry! I was so worried that I couldn’t find you!”, the guy said as he knelt down to face Harry. “What would I have told your dad? That I lost you in the toy store?”, he laughed softly and hugged the boy tightly. “I’m sorry, I did not want to scare you, Siri”, Harry told him and wrapped his hands around the beautiful man’s neck. “Well, we wouldn’t just have left him here, obviously”, Remus smiled shyly after the guy got back up.

“Again, I’m very sorry, thank you for staying with him”, he heard the stranger say but all he could focus on was his plump pair of lips. Focus, Remus, Focus! “This is Emily, and this is Emily’s dad Remus”, Harry said after handing the koala to Emily. “You can have him,” he told her and smiled. The two kids began to chat again, starting a heavy discussion over who should get to keep the koala when Remus’s attention was brought back to the other man. “Nice to meet you, Remus, my name is Sirius, I’m Harry’s godfather”, Sirius said and held out his hand for Remus to shake. “It’s my pleasure”, he smiled and felt his cheeks warm up. He completely forgot how to flirt, apparently. “Oh shit – Harry, it’s already 11:30, mummy said to be home at quarter past! We have to leave, right now”, Sirius sighed and gave Remus a warm smile. “It was lovely to chat. See you around, hopefully”, the black-haired man said and took Harry’s hand in his. “I have no idea what he just told me”, Harry whispered into Emily’s ear and made the little girl giggle before the two of them left. “Bye Harry! Bye Harry’s dad”, Emily shouted and looked at the koala in her hands.

“He was so nice! Look at the koala! I want to name him Harry”, she exclaimed and started walking away from the aisle. “Yes, he was a nice little man”, Remus mumbled and tried to think of anything but the beautiful stranger he just talked to. He could still feel Sirius’s soft hand brush against his. Sirius even painted his nails. He needed to tell Tonks about the guy as soon as he would find the time. They spent another twenty minutes walking around aimlessly and looking at the colourful variety of toys the store had to offer before Emily decided that all she wanted to get was the koala. Remus didn’t mind, he was sure that he would end up spending a lot more money in there than he actually did.

As they were walking back home, Remus lifted her onto his shoulders so that her little legs could rest a bit before her nap. “Can we see them again, dad?”, Emily asked while her fingers played with his hair. She tried to braid it but always gave up halfway through. “Maybe ... I’m sure we’ll meet again some time”, he assured her and wiggled her legs with his hands. Remus secretly hoped that there was truth in what he preached, he really wanted to get to know that handsome Sirius. “The dad looked at you funny”, she told him once they stepped over the threshold of his apartment. “What do you mean by that?”, Remus heard himself ask and tilted his head to the side. “He looked at you like you were friends”, she told him and yawned. They both needed a nap desperately.

A couple of days passed until it was Remus’s turn to look after Emily again. “Have a good week, you two!”, Tonks smiled and kissed them both goodbye. “Love you, Tonksie! See you on Sunday!”, Remus shouted as the two of them were walking to the nearest grocery store. “So, we’re going to get some snacks and something to drink and then we can go to the park with the big playground”, he explained to her and fumbled with the tote bag around his shoulder. They entered the shop and immediately went to the fruit aisle. Emily chose strawberries and Remus chose cherries. They got a few bottles of water and some chocolate before he heard a familiar voice shouting from the distance. “Look, Siri! It’s Emily and her dad!”, a boyish voice shouted from the other side of the store. “Well well well, look who we have here! It’s nice to see you two again, Remus and Em!”, Sirius smiled and looked at the little girl. “Hello, Sirius! My dad told me that you were the godfather of Harry. My godmother is Alice. She looks nothing like you”, Emily told Sirius and made him laugh. “Well, I bet she’s lovely”, the man answered and looked at Remus. He had to say something. Don’t just stand there, Remus, say something! “What are two handsome gentlemen like you doing on such a beautiful Monday afternoon?”, he heard himself say and regretted it immediately. How insanely cringy! What the hell? “Well, we were thinking of going to the park – I have to get some work done and the handsome gentleman next to me needs to release some energy, what about you?”, Sirius replied and raised his eyebrows. “Well, we actually had the same plan! Mind if we join you?”, Remus asked and looked into Sirius’s piercing grey eyes. If he wouldn’t be careful, he might just get lost in them right then and there. “Sounds great! I need a critic, anyway”, Sirius told him and led them to the cash register.

They paid for their snacks and walked to the playground. The two kids were chasing each other in front of the adults were having a lovely chat. Once they arrived, Remus took out his large blanket from his bag and spread it on the ground. The children explored the playground while the two men were setting up their space. Remus aligned the snacks while Sirius pulled out his iPad and grabbed the two of them some water. “So you’re an ... artist?”, Remus asked and crossed his legs, leaning forward so that he could grab some cherries. “Well, a digital artist, to be precise”, Sirius replied and opened up his emails. “I come from a wealthy family and inherited quite a bit from my uncle so I wouldn't technically have to work, but my passion has always been art”, he started explaining as he watched Remus take a sip of his water and play with his fingers. “That’s lovely, really”, Remus smiled as he tried his best to check out the man in front of him without being obvious about it. Sirius was wearing black dungarees with the left buckle being undone and wore a vintage David Bowie shirt underneath. The both of them were actually wearing converse – Remus’s were forest green while Sirius’s were red.

“Could I ... see some of your work?”, he asked after having built up some courage. He really didn’t want to fuck this up. Sirius was a little perplexed. Usually, people ask him about his family whenever he mentioned it. Nobody has ever just asked for his art, nobody has ever cared that much about it in real life. “Sure, hold on”, Sirius mumbled and searched his iPad for his art folder. In the meanwhile, the two energetic children came back to them for a quick strawberry break before they continued to play. Remus loved watching them. Emily looked so happy whenever Harry told her a joke, he was glad that they found each other because who knows, they might become friends for life! “There you go! It’s not my best, but it’s the most recent one I’ve done, and I think it’s still kind of cute”, Sirius explained as he handed the iPad to the blonde. “Holy shit”, Remus muttered and stared at the screen. “This belongs in a museum! You’re so talented!”, he stated and zoomed into the picture to get a closer look. In front of him was a lesbian couple, one having been painted with blue-toned colours and the other with red-toned colours. They were holding each other lovingly in bed and even though their bodies were different colours, Sirius had painted them to be kissing so their lip areas were both purple. “You really did an amazing job”, he concluded as he handed him the electronic device back. “Thank you, really ... I don’t get to show off my work often so hearing you saying that you like it makes me extra happy”, Sirius smiled and took a bite of the strawberry he just grabbed. His lips were covered in red juice and Remus had to tense every muscle in his body not to think about wanting to kiss it off. He was sure Sirius’s lips would feel amazing against his.

“And what do you do, professionally?”, he heard the other man ask and leaned back so that he was lying on the blanket. “I work at the local record store. I sort vinyl all day. Sometimes I chat with customers ... The owner is a woman of age so whenever her girlfriends come over, I get to hear all of the retirement home gossip”, Remus laughed and saw Sirius smile softly from the corner of his eye. “Is it bold of me to assume that you’re really into music, then?”, Sirius asked as he turned to Remus and began his sketch. “Yes, but we don’t have to get into that if you don’t feel like listening to me ramble”, Remus shrugged and snacked on the cherries he had carefully put on his chest. “No, actually I’d love to listen, it makes me work faster and I also really like the sound of your voice”, Sirius assured him, took one of Remus’s cherries off his chest and ate it. “Well, thank you. I’ve always loved music, I remember when my dad gave me my first CD – it was the Spice Girls’ debut album Spice, and I loved it. I was over the moon. Something about owning someone else’s art feels really beautiful because in a way you’re connected to them, even if they might not know it”, Remus started and looked at the clouds above them. He couldn’t make out any shapes but loved the contrast between the white and the blue either way.

“I really really really wanna zigazig ah”, Sirius chuckled and watched their two kids build a crooked sandcastle. “I own a lot of records and even write reviews for a few magazines – not that anybody reads them, but I still like doing it because it makes my listening experience more fun”, Remus told him softly. “Do you have a favourite artist?”, Sirius asked whilst his eyes didn't his device. “Recently I’ve started loving Molchat Doma. Something about this post-punk-synth-wave stuff really tickles my fancy”, Remus explained and sat up to look at the energy balls in front of them. “They really get on well, don’t you think?”, Remus asked absent-mindedly. “I’ve actually never seen Harry get on this well with, well, any other child”, Sirius admitted and chuckled.

“You have a beautiful laugh, has anybody ever told you that?”, Remus mentioned and felt his heart stop. Did he really just say that? Remus Lupin, the man who can’t even build up the courage to ask for a second bag at the checkout just told another person that they had a beautiful laugh! What happened to him!? “I don’t think so but thank you very much – yours is very contagious”, Sirius grinned and looked at the blonde laying down next to him. The two of them inspected the face of the other. Remus admired the long, dark eyelashes that batted against his cheekbones whenever he blinked. He also loved the way the nostril piercing moved along the movement of his nose whenever Sirius smiled. And don’t get him started on Sirius’s lips. Remus was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t realise that Sirius was gently pushing the blonde curls away from his face. His fingertips brushed against Remus’s skin and sent shivers through his body.

“The scars on your face are-“ “Disgusting, I know, I’m sorry you had to see them”, Remus mumbled and looked away. He truly hated them. They reminded him of his childhood and his very abusive stepfather who would beat him whenever he was drunk. He often struck him and his mother with the bottles he was drinking out of and caused a lot of injuries by doing so. Remus tried his best to cover them up, they were hideous to him. “I was going to say beautiful”, Sirius admitted. “Nobody who has scars like that had it easy. I’m sorry for you. But without them, you wouldn’t be you, right?”, he continued and let his fingers trace the outlines of the almost invisible scars. “I suppose you’re right”, Remus whispered and closed his eyes. He never let anybody touch them, not even Tonks, but somehow, he felt so comfortable with Sirius that he just let it happen. “Nobody ... has ever told me that they were beautiful”, the blonde confessed and looked up at the other who was caressing his skin. “Well, I think scars just show how strong a person is. We can’t know everyone’s stories, but their scars paint a pretty good picture. They often represent survival”, Sirius explained and nudged Remus’s side as the kids were coming back.

“Hey, you two, look what I drew”, Sirius smiled and turned his iPad around so the children could see. “It’s us! and Remus! and you!”, Harry giggled and pointed at Remus. “Remus looks happy”, he added and looked up to the real Remus who was a bit confused. “Dad look how pretty Sirius made me”, Emily shouted and jumped a little. When Remus sat up to see the picture for himself, he gasped quietly. Sirius had painted the two of them chatting on the blanket while the children were playing with their toys just a short distance away from the adults. It was so beautiful. Sirius had captured the afternoon perfectly. “Are you insane, Sirius? You did all of that in just little over two hours?” He couldn’t believe his eyes. He had never been drawn before, how was he supposed to react? The most beautiful person in the world drew him! He almost couldn’t feel his stomach anymore because the butterflies were racing so fast that his insides must have gone numb. “It’s nothing, really. Give me your email address so I can send it to you – and while we’re at it, I’d love to have your number as well, you know, for future play dates”, Sirius suggested and opened his contacts. “Uh – yeah, sure”, Remus mumbled and tried his best not to lose his cool (if there was any left). They chatted the rest of the afternoon away until Harry and Emily were too tired to stay. At around seven they left the park and walked to the bus stop.

“Are the two of you free this ... Thursday?”, Sirius asked as he checked his calendar. “I’ll be working until four, but I don’t think that we have any plans afterwards”, Remus answered and looked down at Emily who clung to his leg. “Would the two of you like to go to the theme park on Thursday?”, the black-haired man started to ask but before he could finish his sentence, he received two loud “YES!” “Alright, guess it’s arranged”, Sirius concluded. “I’ll text you”, he winked at Remus and gave Emily a high five. “See you soon, you two!”, Sirius said as they got onto the bus. “Bye Emily! Bye Remus!”, Harry shouted as the doors closed. Remus and his daughter waved them goodbye and watched the bus drive away.

“No, I’m telling you, Tonks, he even listened to me rant about my music! He didn’t stop me once!”, Remus raved about Sirius as he was talking to the mother of his child on his phone. Emily was already in bed when he sat down on the couch with a glass of wine in his left hand and his phone in his right. “Sounds like he likes you too” “I don’t know! Maybe he was just being nice!” “Remus, I swear to god, get your head out of your ass. He even painted you. You’re practically married” “We’re not, he might even be straight for all I know” “And you want me to believe that? He fed you a strawberry, Remus” “What about that?” “He would not have done that if he weren’t into you” “I’m not sure about that, actually, at all” “Believe me, just this once” “Fuck! Tonksie! He just texted me, what do I do?” “Well, answer him, of course! I’ll leave you to it though, good luck” “No, don’t go, what do I sa-“ Remus sighed as she hung up and opened up the chat.

He loved talking to Tonks but in moments like these, he wished she wouldn’t have been so honest. Before he read the message, he took a sip of his chardonnay and took a deep breath.

**S: hey remus, it’s me sirius :) thank you for the lovely afternoon, harry and I really enjoyed it!!**

_R: so did we ! emmie wouldn’t stop talking about it haha_

**S: i enjoyed our chat, too. you’re a really interesting person**

How was he supposed to reply to that? It was all too much for Remus. Never in a million years would he have imagined that he’d ever talk to a man like Sirius, let alone befriend him.

_R: so are you, honestly. everything you said sounded poetic and well thought out in comparison to my rambles_

**S: that’s not true and you know it, don’t bring yourself down like that!! all the things you said were very intriguing**

Remus blushed. How did this man know how to get under this skin so quickly? They chatted until one am before Remus decided to go to bed. He wished Sirius a goodnight and thanked him for the lovely chat. Without paying attention, he had finished the entire bottle of wine and knew that he’d sleep well that night. Once he was in bed, his thoughts circled around Sirius until he drifted off to sleep.

The next day he took a couple of painkillers before he made him and his little girl breakfast. They were both too tired to chat, so Remus made sure to put on ABBA’s “Gonna sing you a love song” so that they could both enjoy some music while they were waking up properly. Remus dropped Emily off at Kindergarten an hour later and gave her a big kiss on her forehead before he went to work. Since it was a Tuesday, he knew that it wouldn’t be a busy day. As usual, he sorted the vinyl, registered the new arrivals on the computer and put the prices on the records that didn’t come with any. Then his phone dinged. Remus went to check on it and smiled as he saw that Sirius had texted him.

“What is making you smile like that?”, Linda, the owner, asked him as she was cleaning the register. “Is it your boyfriend?”, she continued and gave him a comforting smile. “He’s not my boyfriend”, Remus blushed. “Son, you tell me everything right now!”, she demanded and hit his shoulder with her rag playfully. “ ... and now he just sent me a good morning text”, Remus concluded as he categorised the Elton John records alphabetically. “Goodness gracious, he sounds like a dream come true! And he’s rich!”, Linda summarised and clapped. “You get him and then you introduce him to me!”, she added and watched Remus’s face turn red. “I will, I promise”

Over the course of the day, Remus and Sirius had texted non-stop. They sent each other memes, songs and things that didn’t make sense but they both enjoyed it nonetheless. After he had picked up Emily from Kindergarten they snacked on some fruits and played a few board games until it was time for dinner. Remus sent Sirius a picture of the pasta he made and got a few “holy shit that looks delish!!!” messages back. He was excited to see Sirius the next day. They met up at 4:30 pm in front of the food stall at the entrance of the theme park and spent the rest of the afternoon going on rides, eating ice cream and chatting about life. At one point the were walking to a carousel when Remus felt their fingers brush against each other. He swallowed hard and tried not to faint. The thing that surprised him the most was when Sirius linked their pinkies. His hand felt warm against his and Remus sent a quick thank you prayer to whoever might have been listening. “Is that okay?”, Sirius whispered as Remus looked at their hands. “Yes, more than just okay actually”, he mumbled and felt his cheeks turn red again. Was it humanly possible that he would just never stop blushing?

The kids were loving their time together, so much in fact that they didn’t even realise that their caretakers barely had eyes for them. Remus had bought them milkshakes shortly before the kids went on the carousel. Next to it was a table with a bench on each side on which two adults then sat down. They watched the kids laugh and smile while they were having their own lively conversation. Whenever Remus made a joke, Sirius threw his head back while he was laughing and squeezed the hand of the other. Remus's heart fluttered. At the end of the day, they hugged each other goodbye and promised to hang out again as soon as it was possible. “He looks at you like mummy looks at Adriana”, Emily told Remus as they were walking up the stairs to the apartment. “You think so?”, Remus asked, feeling his face turn red again. Emily must have been imagining things. “Yes, and he also held your hand all the time”, she added and took his keys out of his hands. She unlocked the door and sprinted to the couch before she let herself fall onto it. “I’m so tired, dad”, she yawned and kicked off her shoes. “Let’s get you cleaned up and then we can head to bed – brushing your teeth is essential, Emmie” “I know, dad, I know”, she groaned and tapped to the bathroom.

Remus’s next couple of days all looked the same. Care for Emily, go to work, flirt with Sirius via WhatsApp and go to bed. “Remus, I swear to god, you have to ask him out”, Adriana sighed as they put the dishes into the dishwasher. They had just finished a fabulous meal together and were planning on watching one of Emily’s favourite movies. “But what if he’s not looking for anything? I haven’t been in a proper relationship since Tonks! I don’t even remember how I asked her out!”, Remus sighed and massaged his temples. “For the record, I was the one who asked you out, my dear”, Tonks shouted from the other room as she was tidying up Emily’s room. “Just call him, love. I’m sure he won’t turn you down”, Adriana assured him and handed Remus his phone. “We’ll start the movie in 10 minutes. Go to the balcony and give him a ring. I promise it won’t hurt”, she said as she hip-bumped him out of the living room.

As Remus was walking to the balcony he tried to gather his thoughts. Should he call him? Or facetime him? Or just send a text? Or maybe an email? He didn't know what to do! After contemplating for a couple of minutes, he decided to call him on facetime. After all, if he was going to ask him out, he’d want to see his reaction, he figured. Something inside of him still wanted him to just call him like a normal person, so that if he declined, Sirius wouldn’t see the agony on Remus’s face. Before he could finish his thought, he already had tapped on the call button. Remus quickly fixed his hair and waited patiently for Sirius to pick up. While he was doing so, he admired the view in front of him. From Tonks’s apartment, one could see half of the small city they lived in. It was pretty beautiful, he admitted to himself. The sudden sound of Sirius picking up brought him back to reality.

“Oh hi Remus! How are you?”, Sirius smiled happily. He was sitting on his working bench and had been working with charcoal for the first time in ages. His face was covered with tiny, charcoal fingerprints. Remus could guess who they belonged to. “I’m g-good, how are you?”, he answered and felt his voice breaking a little. Get your act together, Lupin! “I’m okay. I just started working on this painting of a penguin Harry requested, it’s his favourite animal. What have you been up to?”, Sirius asked and held up the canvas so Remus could take a better look. As usual, it looked amazing. “The penguin looks so nice! And I just had dinner with the family and I ... I was just ...”, Remus started and felt his throat close up. He had come so far; he couldn’t give up now! “Are you okay, Rem?”, Sirius asked with worry written all over his face and took his phone in his hand so that he could see Remus better. “Yes, I just wanted to ... I just wanted to ask you if you ever felt like getting drinks or something like that”, Remus finally said and held his breath. “As in a date?”, Sirius asked and raised his eyebrows in surprise. Fuck. “Yes, as in a date”, Remus answered and could feel his heart sink. How could he have been this blind? Sirius would never be interested in a lanky dip-ship like him! “Of course I do! I actually have been meaning to ask you out but whenever I tried to, something got in the way. How about Wednesday? You said Linda lets you take Thursdays off so I could show you my favourite bar and we wouldn’t be in a hurry to get home”, Sirius suggested and gave Remus a warm smile. Remus could feel his heart swell in his chest. “Sounds good. No, sounds perfect, actually. I was so worried you’d say no, holy shit”, he laughed in relief. “How could I say no to someone like you? I’d have to be a giant fool for that”, Sirius grinned and put his phone down so he could put his hair in a bun because it was distracting him. “I’ll text you the when and where later, alright? I gotta get back to the penguin. It was lovely to hear from you though, see you soon Moony!”, Sirius said and straightened the canvas in front of him. “Moony?”, Remus asked, being visibly confused. “Well, your name means Wolf, right? Harry loves this type of thing. He gave me the name Padfoot”, Sirius chuckled. “Oh, like the black dog?”, Remus replied and felt the corners of his lips form a smile. “Exactly. He’s been calling you Moony ever since he asked me about your name and I kind of adapted it. Hope that’s okay with you”, the black-haired man said looked away for a second. Did Remus just see Sirius’s cheek blush? “ ‘Course it is, Padfoot”, Remus grinned and watched Sirius laugh. “I gotta hang up though, we’re going to watch Shrek 2 now”, he explained and waved Sirius goodbye. “Bye, have a great evening! Tell Em I said hi”, Sirius quickly replied before they hung up.

“And? How’d it go?”, Tonks asked as the three girls sat down on the couch and watched Remus put the DVD in the DVD-player. “I’ll say this much: I know who I will be seeing next Wednesday”, the man said with a big smile on his face. “We told you he’d say yes! Oh congratulations, Remus!”, Adriana cheered and pulled him onto the couch so he could join in on the cuddle action. “Who?”, Emily asked confused and looked at her dad with her big, brown eyes. “Sirius”, he replied calmly. He’d tell her if anything was going to happen soon enough. He was not going to tell his four-year-old daughter about his crush on her playmate. “He’s cool, mummy! He drew us and then dad printed it out and put it on the fridge”, Emily giggled and snuggled into Tonks’s chest. “You promised not to tell anyone!”, Remus sighed theatrically and threw his head back like the actor he was. Tonks just rolled her eyes and started the movie. “As long as you’re happy and we’ll be invited to the wedding, I don’t care where you put his drawings”, she assured him before the theme song started to play. The four of them enjoyed the movie but in reality, all Remus could think about was the following Wednesday. He couldn't remember a time where he was as interested in someone as he was in Sirius.

Before he knew it, Wednesday evening was around the corner. He was facetime with Alice, Emily’s godmother, and was about to lose his marbles. “You have to help me! I really have no idea what to wear”, he cried out in despair. “You absolute drama queen, holy shit”, Alice laughed. Her style was impeccable in his opinion so it was a given that he'd ask her for advice. “I have this thrifted suit, but I really don’t think it’d look good on me”, he sighed and browsed through his shirts. “Don’t you have those black dress-pants you wore to our wedding? And that grey shirt you wore that night we went out in Bristol?”, Alice suggested and watched Remus roam through his stuff. “Don’t remind me of that evening, I just remember that I puked my entire stomach contents out”, Remus laughed as he found the pants. He put them on and checked out the scars on his chest as he was looking for the shirt. “He even said my scars were beautiful, Ali”, he told her and felt the butterflies awaken again. “Well, you have to marry him on the spot then! What are you waiting for? Oh Remus, look at you! Such a handsome young man!”, she told him as the twirled in front of the camera, showing off his outfit. “Thank you, mother”, he laughed and put on a pair of funky looking socks. “I gotta go now, thank you for your help! I love you”, he said, already being in a hurry. “Bye Remie! Love you the mostest!”, Alice laughed and hung up.

Remus brushed his teeth, put a bit of the curling gel into his hair, applied cologne and finally checked himself out in the mirror. He looked presentable. The clothes fit him nicely, too. About twenty minutes later, he was standing in front of Libra’s, Sirius’s local bar. He put the gum he was chewing on into the trash and shook his limbs. Was he ready for this? Before he could answer his question, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “On time! A lovely trait! Good evening, Moony!”, Sirius chuckled when Remus turned to face him. “Great to see you too, Padfoot. Wanna head in?”, Remus suggested and felt the butterflies again. Sirius nodded and guided him into the building. It was very cosy and dimly lit. “I’ll get you my favourite drink”, Sirius promised as Remus sat down at the corner booth. He was sure Sirius had great taste in drinks He watched the smaller man get the beverages and felt his entire body tingle. Sirius was wearing a tailored black suit with a red shirt underneath. He left the first four buttons open that revealed his multiple tattoos. Remus hoped he’d get to see them properly one day.

“Here we go, two Green Poisons coming up”, Sirius announced and put the drinks on the table. “Thank you”, Remus laughed and stared at the glasses in front of them. “What are the ingredients?”, he asked as they clunk them together. “Coconut liquor, vodka, something blue, something lemon-y and something maracuja-y I think”, Sirius said after inspecting the drink himself. The two of them started chatting right away and got along better than ever. After half an hour and a second round of Green Poisons, Sirius took off his jacket and moved closer to Remus. “I admire your bravery, by the way”, he said before taking a big sip. Remus was confused. He didn’t know what Sirius was on about. He was anything but brave. “That you called and asked me out like that. I would’ve shat my pants if I were you”, Sirius laughed. “I meant to call you for weeks but something always held me back. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think we’d be sitting here for a while”, he admitted. “Well, to be fair, I was sure someone like you would never be interested in going out with someone like me”, Remus said and looked around the room. It was moderately crowded; most visitors were Uni students. They had been playing Queen non-stop and Remus was very happy about that. He loved that band.

“What do you mean by that?”, Sirius replied and put his hand over Remus’s. Remus stared down and felt every hair on his body stand up. This felt right. Sirius’s hand on his felt as if it belonged there. “I meant that you’re a really good-looking bloke, have you ever taken a look at yourself? You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen and don’t even get me started on your gorgeous hair, holy hell! And your lips ... I ... they’re very nice, too”, he said and felt his body tense. He just ruined their entire evening; he was sure of it. Sirius leaned into him and stopped just before their lips could meet. They looked into each other’s eyes before Sirius began to smile. “You’re so insanely handsome, I don’t think that I’ve ever found anybody as attractive as you”, he whispered and Remus could feel his breath against his skin. “I’ve been waiting to do this for weeks now”, Sirius continued and let his hand cup Remus’s cheek. “Do what?”, Remus whispered back innocently. Before Sirius answered, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Remus’s. His tongue licked along his bottom lip lazily and felt Remus put his hand on his side so he could pull him even closer.

The kiss felt amazing. His entire body felt as if it were on fire. Sirius smelled like expensive perfume and smoke. Remus loved it. Their lips moved against each other eagerly. Sirius tasted like the drinks and toothpaste and Remus could not get enough of it. Without thinking, Remus guided Sirius onto his lap and rested his hands on the small of his back. Sirius held onto Remus’s jaw and laughed as Remus moaned quietly. “Did-Did I do something wrong?”, Remus hesitated. “No, No, I just didn’t think that I’d end up in your lap so soon”, Sirius purred into Remus’s ear and sent a shiver down the other man’s spine. “Do you like it?”, Remus asked and looked into Sirius’s eyes. “There’s nothing like it”, Sirius replied just before he kissed him again. After making out for what felt like hours, Sirius got off Remus’s lap. “I ... I think I’m addicted to your lips”, Remus admitted breathlessly. He could get used to this.

“Do you want to go back to my place? I’d love to show you my art, amongst other things”, Sirius suggested and licked his lips. “Do I really have a choice here?”, the blonde laughed and got up from the booth. They paid quickly and made their way out of the bar. Only seconds after they were back on the street, Sirius attacked Remus with a hungry kiss and pushed him against the closest wall. “You’re so amazing, Moony”, Sirius whispered and let his fingers explore Remus’s body. Once they broke away from each other, they started walking to Sirius’s flat. Normally it would have taken them about 8 minutes to get there but since they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, they arrived half an hour later. “Would you like to come up?”, Sirius asked Remus with his swollen lips. “I thought you’d never ask”, Remus replied and kissed him passionately. He could not wait to see what the future had in store for them.


End file.
